King of the Beautifully Landscaped Hill - Again

“We have a tight-knit family feel,” Marco Crosland says of the landscape management program. “Our professors are amazing, and we have a close group of just under 100 students. It’s not just about learning - we all help each other get jobs, and people care about you as a person.”

Marco will graduate this April with honors and with an outstanding history of service and high performance in his major. He feels that his scholarship enabled him to take advantage of several experiences that have shaped him as a student and an individual.

Because earning money was not as pressing a concern, Marco chose to challenge himself and join the BYU Honors Program. “You do have to put in extra work, but it’s so cool!” Marco says. “I’ve gotten to connect different disciplines, ask deeper questions, and just learn for the sake of learning. I’ve been able to expand and broaden my mind and my understanding.” Marco is currently finishing up his honors thesis: designing a landscaping guide.

Because earning money was not as pressing a concern, Marco chose to challenge himself and join the BYU Honors Program. “You do have to put in extra work, but it’s so cool!” Marco says. “I’ve gotten to connect different disciplines, ask deeper questions, and just learn for the sake of learning. I’ve been able to expand and broaden my mind and my understanding.” Marco is currently finishing up his honors thesis: designing a landscaping guide.

A defining aspect of Marco’s experience at BYU has been helping coordinate and participating in the annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition (NCLC). Last year Marco and his partner took first. He now works as a TA and coordinator for BYU students participating in the competition. He will be representing BYU this coming March in five events and is hoping to win and to have a chance to network and learn. Scholarship and grant money will help him and the other students make the trip to the competition.

“I’ve got it narrowed down to becoming a professor, starting a landscaping business, or becoming a helicopter pilot,” Marco Crosland says of his plans after graduation. He will finish his degree in landscape management this April, and his experiences at BYU have equipped him well to succeed in any path he chooses.

Marco is extremely thankful for the donors that have opened all of these doors while at BYU. “I’m just so grateful for what they do,” he says. “Their contributions - even small ones - make such a big difference for us students while we’re studying. I guess it’s like the BYU motto: ‘Enter to learn; go forth to serve.’ Once I have the resources, I hope to contribute and give back as well, to serve other students.”

LDS Philanthropies, a department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is responsible for philanthropic contributions to the Church and its affiliated programs and institutions, including: